Electrode holder for glow-discharge transmitters



May 31,1927.

- P. THOMAS ELECTRODE'HOLDER' FOR GLOW DISCHARGE TRANSMiTTERS Filed May '7, l923 Fig: l

NH lllllllll v INVENTOR Phil lips Thomas ATTORNEY I WITNESSES:

Patented May 31, 1927. I

UNITED" STATES riIILLIrs mourns, F nnoEwoon, PENNsYLvA m, nssleNon T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELEor Io & MANUFACTURING contrANY, A ooRroRArIoN OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELEc'rnonE HOLDER son GLOW-DISCHARGE raANsmrrEBs.

Application filed May 7, 1923. Serial No. $37,053.

My invention relates to telephone stems and apparatus having particular re erence.

to the mechanism required for sound wave translating devices. 6 Broadly speaking, the object of my invention is to provide a supporting ca sule for the electrodes required by a glow 'scharge transmitter.

An object of my invention is to provide a support for the'electrodes of the glow discharge telephonic transmitter which will hold'them in proper ition for operation and which will also t conveniently into a suitable supporting and protecting case, as described in the co -pending application of Louis F. Kindermann, Serial No. 637,052 filed May-7,1923, in such way as to be conveniently removed and replaced when conditionsof operation require a different set of electrodes. m

' In my co-pending application Serial No. 600,822, filed Nov. 14, '1922, is described a principle of operation and essential structure for applying that principle whereby a glow discharge is made to serve as a tele- "phone transmitter when connected to suitable circuits and placed in the ath of the sound waves. It is desirable fhr the best operation of this device that the electrodes between which the low discharge is main-- tained be supported in a detachable structure which in operation is enclosed in .a suitable protectin the electrodes tween which the glow discharge takes place be supported in proper alinement.

I do this by means of a tube of insulatin material,-for which use, I find the materia known as micarta to be satisfactory, al-' 40 thou h other materials may be used.

,Ot er objects and applications of my invention as well as details of construction will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein y f gigure 1 is a front view of my apparatus,

v Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same ap aratus on the line 1III of Fig. 1.

n the drawing, a' micarta tube 1 serves as a framework for a glow-dischar e device. Throu h a hole in the tube, rilled I at right ang es to the axis of the tube, is

case. It is necessary that v arc, I find that the source of potential must 6 terminates in an electrode 10 similar to the electrode 3. In the same plane and at right angles to the aforementioned holes in which are supported studs 2 and 6. is drilled a third hole for the admission of third stud 9 which is supported in a manner similar to studs 2 and 6' by nuts 11 and 12. Insulating collar 8 carries at its upper end a control element 14-. which is connected by wire 15 to stud 9. I

In operation, the glow discharges take place between electrode 3 and electrode 10 which are held in proper relative position bythe aforementioned clamping nuts and micarta tube 1. The sensitlzing element 14 is held in operative position by insulating.

collar 8. This construction provides a transmitter capsule which is sufiiciently rigid to hold the electrodes in proper. alignment and to meet the other demands placed upon it, and which also can be supported in a case by spring clips fittings on studs 2, 6 and 9., under which conditions it is very readily removed and replaced in its support in clips.

11 order to insure that .the discharge will be a glow discharge and will continue to be a glow discharge and not change into an be highand that a current limiting device must be used. In one specific embodiment of my invention I employed a source .of somewhatfmore than {L000 volts with a resistance in series between it and the discharge device of approximately one me ohm. In another specific embodiment of this invention I employed a source of 4200 volts together with acurrent limiting device which restricted the current to one millimeter. The current limiting device used in this instance was asaturation tube.

A characteristic difierence between the glow discharge and the arc is found in the relation ofcurrent to voltage. In the arc 105 the current is much greater and the voltage muchi smaller than in the glow discharge.

Another characteristic difference is that with the glow discharge the electrodes are relatively cool, never becominincandescent, while with an arc the electro es are hot and the cathode is usually more incandescent than any portion of the arc itself.

By the construction which-is described and by modified constructions which will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art, it is possible to provide a convenient supporting and insulating structure for the capsule of a glow-discharge transmitten While I have shown only one embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings it isv obvious that inany changes and modifications may be adopted without departing from the spirit thereof. It is desired, therefore that only such limitations shall be imposed upon my invention as are indicated in the prior art or set forth inthe appended claims.

I in operative relation.

I claim as my invention:

1. A glow discharge transmitter capsule, comprislng a cylindrical portion of insulating material open to the air at its ends and low discharge electrodes attached thereto 2. A glow discharge transmitter capsule, comprising a c lindrical body portion of insulating material and inserted metallic elecwhereby the necessary electrical connections may be made.

4. In a glow discharge device, a cylindrical holder, a set of electrodes mounted in the wall thereof and means for independ-'.

ently adjusting the electrodes radially.

5. In a glow discharge device, an insulating-holder, a set of electrodes mounted in the wall thereof, two of said electrodes being I in alignment, and means for adjusting sai electrodesindependently of each other.

6..In an open-air, glow-discharge device,

a cylindrical holder, electrodes mountediat.

diametrically opposite points in the wall thereof, a collar surrounding one of said electrodes and a third electrode carried by said collar.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th day of April,

. PHILLIPS THOMAS. 

